-without reading this, just know that the more programs, and files and things you open... it starts different processes within the computer, and many of them keep running, even after you close the program.

So, it's just good practice to shut your computer down at the end of the work day. Your computer will start "fresh" each day.

It is NOT necessary to shut it down and restart it several times a day.
-Start it at the start of the day, shut it down at the end of the day.

A few other reasons to "shut down" your computers.

1. Our computers our connected to the Internet by the "Fortigate" software firewall installed by the state. If you are logged in overnight, there is a chance that the Fortigate itself restarted overnight, and it will no longer see you as an authenticated user. It will recognize "old" users as "guests" and many times... that means you will be blocked from websites that are normally open to teaching staff.

*This is why, most of the time, when teachers tell me "YouTube is blocked" or something like that, my first suggestion is always "restart your computer". When you do that... you log in to the network fresh again, and your credentials are restored. (This works approximately 92% of the time).

2. Windows Updates. Microsoft releases updates to it's windows machines periodically (normally on Tuesday's... it's sometimes called "Patch Tuesday"). These updates are generally good for your computer, resolve problems that were unforeseen when the software was issued, and often times contain security patches, that keep your computer safe.
-Many times, your computer will need to "restart" to install and configure the updates.
*I know they can be long (depending on the size of the update), and kind of a pain to wait for, but shutting down your computer at the end of the day, so computers can complete updates is good for the health of your computer.

So, to sum up... it's good to "shut down" every day, at the end of the day!
-It helps your computer to run faster (eliminates unnecessary processes)
-It helps your network connection (by authenticating to the server each day)
-It helps with the installation of updates.